Means for automatically opening and closing doors



1953- 5. s. SKOGSBERG ETAL 2,819,897

MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS Filed Sept. 24, 1953 Q 5 Sheets-Sheet '1 Fig.1 Q g I INVENTORS Zmm/mw M ATTORNEY.

Jan. 14, 1958 E. G. SKOGSBERG ETAL 2,819,897

MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS Filed Sept. 24, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Jan. 14, 1958 E. e. SKOGSBERG ET'AL 2,819,897

MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS Filed Sept. 24, 1953 s Sheets-Shbet s Fig. 4 39* INVENTORS M m KW Z MM ATTORNEYS v 195 8 E. G. SKOGSBERG ETAL 2,819,897

MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS Filed Sept. 24, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 17 E Fig. 6b

INVENIORS II 4 z I ATTORNEYS Jan. 14, 1958 E. G. SKOGSBERG ETAL.

MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS Filed Sept. 24, 1953 Fig. 70

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS United States PatentO MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS Ernst Georg Skogsberg and Karl Henning Harnell, Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, assignors to Aktiebolaget Hagglund & Soner, Ornskoldsvik, Sweden Application September 24-, 1953, Serial No. 382,143

12 Claims. (Cl. 268--64) It is a point of great importance in single-operated vehicles, mostly busses and tram-cars, to reduce the work of the vehicle driver to a minimum. For this reason, the outlet door is nowadays arranged so as to be opened automatically when the vehicle is standing still and a passenger wishes to leave it. At the same time steps have been taken to prevent the vehicle from being started while the passenger is leaving. Before such a departure and after the vehicle has been braked down an application of the brakes are caused by an operating means being actuated by the driver. When thereafter a passenger stands or steps on to the foot step plates, which are collapsible, the door opens automatically, as these plates when loaded actuate contact means, which in turn actuate a door cylinder device in a vacuum, compressed air or hydraulic system. This known arrangement suffers from the drawback that it works more heavily and slowly when dust and dirt or other strange particles have penetrated into the bearings of the collapsible plates. A further drawback is that it requires a plurality of relays, seven or more, which due to their number have a tendency to cause break-downs.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate these drawbacks as far as possible.

The invention relates more particularly to a device for automatically opening and closing doors in road running and rail running vehicles, comprising a combined electrical and vacuum, compressed air or hydraulic system, in which the so-called door cylinder of the vehicle door and the vehicle brakes are operated by means of relayactuated control valves, one for said cylinder and one for said brakes, each provided with two solenoids, said relays acting under the influence of electrical contacts.

The main feature of the invention consists therein that the system comprises only two main relays, viz. an entirely electromagnetically actuated relay for the control valve of the vehicle brakes, and a relay for the control valve of the door cylinder, which latter relay is electromagnetically actuated in one direction and mechanically actuated under delay in the opposite direction, a light source, for instance a lamp connected in the electric circuit to one solenoid in the brake valve, influencing by light rays a photo-electric cell connected in parallel with said lamp, said lamp and said photoelectric cell being arranged each on one side of the vehicle door and the step plate respectively. It is preferred that the current circuit to one solenoid in the control valve of the brakes should be alive when a contact situated at the driver seat is closed, while the current circuit to the other solenoid in the valve is arranged to be alive when another contact, actuated by depression of the foot throttle of the vehicle, is closed, so that in the first case the vehicle brakes are locked and in the latter case they are released. It is furthermore preferred to have the electromagnet for the relays controlling the valve of the door cylinder so connected to the photoelectric cell and the lamp that the relay shifts over the valve when the flux through the photoelectric cell changes.

2,819,897 Patented Jan. 14, 1958 ice The accompanying drawings illustrate a plurality of embodiments according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing vehicle door operating and brake locking means equipped with control elements suitable for practising the disclosed invention;

Figure 1a shows a modified arrangement for locking a foot throttle by means of a solenoid;

Figure 1b shows another modified arrangement for locking the foot throttle by means of a pressure medium cylinder;

Figure 1c is a section of a vehicle door provided with means for preventing jamming of passengers;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a control system with a modified brake control mechanism;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of a vehicle door provided with light beam control means;

Figure 3a is a modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 3.

Figure 4 is a modified schematic diagram of a control system provided with electric motors for the brake and door control;

Figure 5a is an elevational view of a vehicle door provided with photoelectric means which are placed outside the door;

Figure 5b is a modified arrangement provided with an outer and an inner light beam for a vehicle door;

Figure 6 is an elevational view of a door provided with a light beam which is placed as near as possible at the inside of the door;

Figure 6a shows the arrangement according to Fig. 6 with the door in open position;

Figure 6b is a vertical view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 6a;

Figure 7 is an elevational view of a vehicle door provided with one photoelectric cell and two lamps;

Figure 8 is an elevational view of a door provided with a photoelectric arrangement placed outside the door;

Figure 9 is an elevational view of an arrangement with a photoelectric cell and a lamp placed in cylinders which can be pushed out of the vehicle body;

Figure 9a shows the arrangement of Fig. 9 with the cylinders in a position out of the vehicle body.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a modified arrangement for controlling a valve by means of a single solenoid.

Referring now to Fig. 1, it shows a so-called door cylinder 2 opening or closing in known manner with its piston rod a door in a bus, for instance, a door constructed as shown in Fig. 3, an electromagnetically controlled valve 3 operative in controlling the door cylinder 2 and comprising two solenoids O1 and S1 and two contacts 30 and 3s, a relay 16, 4 for the valve 3, said relay being provided with a delay means 15, for instance, in the form of an air cylinder with a small, permanently open air discharge hole and a piston actuated by a spring. In mechanical respect this delay means is made according to the principle of a known door closer of simple type, the piston being moved at a relatively high speed to its one end position and at a low speed to its other end position. When the electromagnet 16 is de-energized the shifting of the relay contact 4 is delayed by a certain space of time, so that the door is not closed immediately upon the passengers leaving the bus. There are furthermore shown a signal lamp 5 which is lighted during the time the door is open, and another electromagnetically controlled valve 6 operative in locking the vehicle brakes by means of a cylinder B1, said valve 6 also comprising two solenoids O2 and S2 and two contacts 60 and 6s, as well as a relay 70, 7s, 7 for the valve 6, said relay 70, 7s, 7 closing the electric circuit to the solenoid 02 of the valve 6, when the driver actuates a switch 12 or closing the electric fcircuit to the solenoid S2 of the valve 6 when the driver depresses the foot throttle 14 which actuates a contact 13. The numeral 8 designates an electric lamp located at one side of the door or of the step .plate and connected to two terminals E, M. When 'thel'amp'S'is current-carrying, its light beams are directly illuminating a photoelectric 'cell 9 on the opposite side of the door and connected to terminals P, Q. The photoelectric cell 9 comprises necessary amplifying means for enabling a 'sufficient current to energize the electromagnet 16. A contact 11 is arranged to feed a signal lamp 10 or even an acoustical signal means and further similar contact means 11 can be connected in parallel and be provided at different places in the bus to enable the passengers to call attention of the driver when wishing to leave the bus. The letter B designates a lamp connected to terminals U, E which can be fed by means of a switch A for eifecting a light impulse to the photo electric cell 9. The lamp B is arranged near the photoelectric'cell 9 and is.pre ferabl-y fitted in the same casing with the cell 9. There are provided two further terminals Y, Z for connecting contact means as shown in Figs. 1c and 5a, 5b.

Theembodi'rnent shown in Fig. 1 functions as follows: When 'ap'as'se'nger wants to leave the bus at a stoppingplace, he informs the bus driver by pressing a contact 11, thereby lighting the signal lamp 10. The driver stops the bus by means of the foot brake and then actuates the switch 12, the solenoid 02 of the valve 6 thereby receiving current so that the locking cylinder B1 locks the bus brakes. Further, the lamp 8 receives current and radiates a light beam to the photoelectric cell 9, to which current has also been fed. If the leaving passenger passes the light beam, he blocks the photoelectric cell'9 from the light beam and the flux through the cell changes, which change in turn influences the relay '16, 4 to feed current to the solenoid 01 of the valve 3, whereby said valve is shifted so that the door cylinder 2 opens the door. In order to prevent the door from being closed immediately the passenger has passed the light beam, the relay 16, 4is provided with said delay means 15. If no furtherpassenger passes the'light beam, the door'is closed when the delay time of the relay 16, 4 has expired. The control lamp 5 is cut off and the bus can be started. To this end, switch 12 being open, the driver presses the 'foot throttle 14, the solenoid S2 of the valve :6 receiving the current through the contact 13 and the relay contact 7, so that the cylinder B1 releases the brakes. Also the current to the lamp 8 and the photoelectric cell 9 is interrupted by the relay 70, 7s, 7.

Then the door cannot beopened as long as the bus is moving, unless the procedure described above is repeated.

The lamp B and the switch A represent-a supplementary arrangementand have been provided for the following reason: If the bus carries many passengers some of which are "standing just in the path of the light beam, and no other passenger intends to leave the bus, the driver is able to have the photoelectric cell 9 illuminated by the lamp B by pressing the switch A, whereby the dooris closed and the brakes are released so that the bus can be started.

The modifications illustrated in Fig. 1a and 112 show othermethods of locking the brakes. The foot throttle 14 in Fig. la is locked by means of a special solenoid S3, or, as shown in Fig. 1b, by means of a pressure medium cylinder T1 which may be connected to the valve 3 and in parallel with the door cylinder 2. Of course, a further pressure medium cylinder similar to T1 can be connected in parallel with the door cylinder 2 to lock the vehicle brakes.

In Fig. lc'there isshown an arrangement which prevents jamming'ofa passenger in the door. This arrangement-isin most respects similar to the arrangement shown in Fig. l but for the difference that a contact means is fitted in a rubber bead G along the height of the door,

said contact means comprising a rail H and a contact .plate K. There is further a contact L, which interrupts the circuit as soon as the door is closed and closes the circuit immediately the door takes in any other position. The rail H, the contact plate K and the contact L are connected in series and to said terminals Y, Z for closing the circuit of the electromagnet 16. Now, if for some reason a passenger gets an arm jammed when the door is being closed, the contact rail H is pushed against the plate K and as the contact L is closed as long as the door is in non-closed position, current is fed to the electromagnet 16 and then via the relay contact 4 to the solenoid O1. Hereby the door is opened. The solenoid S1 receives the current after expiration of the delay caused by the device 15, and the door is closed.

In Fig. 2 all parts are the same as those hitherto shown except for the means arranged for locking the brakes or the foot throttle. This figure furthermore shows a change-over valve 23 which actuates the brakes or the foot throttle individually or both at the same time. This valve is a three-way turn valve, the operating handle of which is movable between two end positions by means of a rod that'can be actuated by a solenoid 22 and cooperate with a contact 24. The three conduits 23, 23 and 23' are connected to the two ends of a brake cylinder 34 and to a pressure fluid source. A contact means 27 is actuated by a door 1. This contact is closed when the door 1 is closed. The solenoid 22 when energized actuates said rod to shift the valve 23 in a manner hereinafter described.

The functioning is as follows: The driverstops the vehicle and shifts over the handle of the valve 23, thereby closing the contact 24, which supplies current to the photoelectric cell 9 and the lamp 8 acting as described in connection with Fig. 1. When the door is closed and the driver wants to start the vehicle he presses the foot throttle 14, the solenoid 22=receives current through the contacts 13, 24 and 27 and shifts over the valve 23 whereby the brakes are released and the contact 24 is opened.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, the lamp 8 is placed on one side of a door '1 or of a step plate 1' and the photoelectric cell 9 on the other side of the step plate with a single light beam a between them. If now a passenger has blocked the light beam a so that the door opens and he then remains standing on the foot step for some reason after having passed the beam, the door will close after the delay time has lapsed and may hurt a passenger. For this reason it has proved more suitable in practice to place, according to Fig. 3a, both lamp 8 and photoelectric cell 9 on one and the same side the door 1 and to lead two lightbeams a, b, one inner and one outer beam, in the same horizontal plane by means 'of mirrors 17, 18. By this arrangement the above-mentioned risk of .hurting passengers will be diminished. A passenger always breaks a lightbeam either when he passes and leaves directly or when he stops on his way out. It is also preferred to place one of the light beams as near as possible to the inside of the door which will be described in connection with Fig. 6 and 7.

Fig. 4 is a connection diagrambased on the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 and modified by using an electric motor 29 to drive the change-overvalve 23 and an electric motor 29' to drive the door. The valve 23 is arranged to control pressure medium to the brakes and is coupled to the electric motor 29 through a shaft 28. Two switch-over contact means 30, 31 are actuated by the valve 23 or the brakes so as to be set, in one case, to the positions shown in the drawing and, in another case, to the diametrary position. Thus, the motor 29 rotates in one direction when the brakes are applied by means of the contact 12 and in the opposite direction when the contact 13 is actuated by means of the foot throttle 14 .to release .the brakes. Two contact means 32, 33 are actuated by the door and are so arranged that they take in the position shown in the drawing when the door is to be opened and 5 the other position when the door ist'o be closed. By these contact means 32, 33 the motor 29' can rotate in one direction when the door is to be opened and in the other direction when the door is to be closed.

Fig. 5a shows a modification of the foregoing embodiments in which the lamp 8, the photoelectric cell 9 and a push button contact 27' are arranged near the outside of the door 1, thus enabling the control of the door by entering passengers. The function of this arrangement is analogous to that described above but for the difierence that the first-entering passenger must open the door by means of the push button contact 27 thereby actuating the relay 16, 4 (as shown in Fig. 1). When the door 1 has been opened and the passengers cut off the light beam a, the door is held open during the delay time for which the delay means 15 is set. If a passenger wishes to enter after the delay time has expired, he must open the door again by means of the push button contact 27'. As appears from Fig. 1 the contact 27' connected to the terminals M, Y does not receive current until the brakes are applied. As soon as the brakes have been released, the contact 27' is cut off, and thus the door can be opened only when the brakes are applied.

In some kinds of traffic it is desired to use a certain door as outlet door on some tours and as entrance door on other tours. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 5b.

When using the door as entrance according to Fig. 5b, the driver pushes a change-over switch 26 to the left, whereby the photoelectric cell 9', the lamp 8' and the push button contact 27 receive current thereby effecting a light beam :1. When the door is employed as outlet, the switch 26 is pushed to the right, current then being supplied to the photoelectric cell 9 and the lamp 8 producing two light beams a and b with the aid of the mirrors 17 and 18.

Fig. 6 shows a folding door 1 and a photoelectric arrangement comprising a cell 9, a lamp 8 and two mirrors 17, 18, the cell 9 being placed as near as possible to the inside of the door such that the light beam b illuminating cell 9 will be broken by a person who stops in the door opening. The delay of the door closing thus will start from the moment when a passenger breaks the light beam b. To enable the light beam b to pass through the leaves of the door 1 in opened position as shown in Figs. 6a and 6b the door is provided with suitable edge recesses 21 which can be closed by a bellowslike lid at closed door position' Fig. 7 shows a so-called turning door and a lamp 8 producing a light beam which falls directly on the photoelectric cell 9. To provide the beams a and b, the lamp 8 radiates the light via the mirrors 17 and 18 to the photoelectric cell 9 through the opening formed between the door frame and the door leaves 1 when the latter are in open position.

In Fig. 8 the lamp 8 and the photoelectric cell 9 are both provided outside one outer limiting edge of the door 1, and the mirrors 17, 18 are arranged at the other outer limiting edge of the door.

In Figs. 9 and 9a the numerals 19 and 20 are two covering cylinders for the lamp 8', the mirror 18 and the photoelectric cell 9 which cylinders can be pushed into and out from the vehicle body. In Fig. 9, these cylinders 19, 20 are shown in pushed-in position during the running of the vehicle and in Fig. 9a the cylinders are shown in push-out position during entering of passengers. The lamp 8 radiates, when the cylinders 19, 20 are in pushout position, light beams a, b through openings in the door posts, the light beams passing via the mirrors 17 and 18 to the photoelectric cell 9 in the cylinder 20. The cylinders 19, 20 may be pushed in and out by means of a pressure fluid cylinder or some other suitable operating means, and they may be replaced by any other suitable bodies.

The device shown in Figs. 9 and 9a functions as follows: When the driver stops the vehicle he presses a contact, the cylinders 19, 20 thereby being push'edoht from the position in Fig. 9 to the position shown in Fig. 9a. In consequence, the lamps 8, 8 receive current and a light beam 0 is radiated from the, lamp 8' to the photoelectric cell 9. If a passenger steps on the foot step, this light beam is blocked and the door is opened. When the cylinders 19, 20 are in pushed-out position the inner light beam a, b from the lamp 9 can also reach the photoelectric cell 9 via the mirrors, provided that no other passenger blocks the light beam. If a person passes through the last-mentioned light beam, the delay of the door closing means is repeated. During the running of the vehicle all parts described are protected against dirt and dust.

The modification shown in Fig. 10 can be chosen to substitute the double solenoid arrangement 01, S1 or 02, S2 in Fig. l and Fig. 2 by a single solenoid device S4, this solenoid turning the valve 3 by means of a known ratched wheel segment, the same being coupled with cam operated contacts 40, 41 connected to the relay contacts 4 and 7 respectively. The contacts 40 and 41 have the same function as the contacts 30 and 3s or or 6s in Fig. 1.

It will be obvious that the design of the means described above may be varied without abandonment of the inventional spirit.

We claim:

1. A control system in road and rail passenger vehicles, the vehicles having a door and vehicle brakes arranged for operation by servomotors, the system comprising a main circuit including a manually operated first contact means for closing a first control circuit arranged to prepare opening of the door, a second contact means arranged to be closed by depressing the throttle pedal of the vehicle for opening said first control circuit thereby causing the door to close, and a second control circuit, the latter being arranged to be energized only when the first control circuit is energized, and wherein the second control circuit includes photoelectrically responsive control means disposed in front of the door and arranged to effect opening of the door when a person interrupts the beam of light emitted from a first lamp of the photoelectrically responsive control means, there being door operating means arranged to close the door automatically after a predetermined delay, when said beam of light is uninterrupted again.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is provided an additional lamp, the current circuit of which is arranged to be energized by closing a manually actuated switch, said additional lamp being arranged for direct illumination of the photoelectric cell of said photoelectrically responsive control means, and wherein the additional lamp is housed together with said photoelectric cell in the same housing so as to enable over-ruling of the first lamp by the additional lamp.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the photoelectric cell of said photoelectrically responsive control means and the first lamp are located at the same side of the door and the foot step of the vehicle, there being a mirror system provided at the opposite side of the door and the foot step of the vehicle to reflect the beam of light emanating from said first lamp, to the photoelectric cell, and wherein the door of the vehicle is a double inwardly opening folding door which is provided with an automatically closable edge recess which admits, in the open position of the door, the beam of light from said first lamp to a mirror in said mirror system.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door of the vehicle is a hinged door and the photoelectric cell of the photoelectrically responsive control means and the first lamp are located on the same side of the hinged door and the foot step of the vehicle, and wherein there is provided a mirror system at the opposite side of the hinged door and the foot step to reflect the beam of light emanating from said first lamp to said photoelectric cell, and a furtherlamp for sending a second beam of light through an opening ,formed between the hinged door and the vertical part of the frame of the hinged door when the latter-is opened.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising a'third contact means which is fitted in a rubber bead provided along a vertical edge part of the door, said third contact means consisting of a rail and .a contact platelcooperating therewith.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which the servomotors are relay-actuated pressure medium arrange ments.

"7. A system as claimed in claim 6, in which the servomotors are relay-actuated solenoids.

8. A system as claimed in claim 6, in which the servomotors are relayeactuated electric motors.

9. .Asystem as claimed in claim 6, wherein the photoelectrically responsive control means is connected with a circuit which includes a first contact, a foot throttle contact, a second contact adjacent the outside of said door, and a relay or the like connected with a manually adjustable control means which serves to actuate the brakes or throttle of the vehicle, the relay being arranged to actuate the manually adjustable control means, and wherein said first contact is so arranged that it is in its make position when said manually adjustable control means is at an end position of its operating movement, the arrangement being such that when the first contact is in its closed position current will'flow to the photoelectrically responsive control means thereby to energize same.

1.0. A system as claimed in claim 1, where in a first housing is provided containing the first lamp and a mirror is provided adjacent one outer limiting edge of the door, and a second housing containing the photoelectricall y responsive control means and a second lamp is provided-adjacent the otherouter limiting edge of the door, the first and second housings each being movable out from, or in to the body of the vehicle so that the contents ofthe housings can be located in an operative position or in an inoperative position and vice versa, said arrangement being such that when the first and second housings rare in their operative position .a :beam of light from the first lamp is arranged directly to fall on the photoelectrically responsive control means, and such that a second beam of light from the second lamp is arranged to be incident upon the mirror, from which latter the second beam is reflected so as to be incident upon the photoelectrically responsive control means.

11. A systemas claimed in claim 10, wherein a further contact means is provided for enabling a passenger to open a closed door, the further contact means being positioned adjacent the outside of said door, and wherein the further contact means is arranged to make or break the circuit of the photoelectrically responsive control means.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11, and further com prising a double switch arranged for operation by the driver, the double switch being arranged to alternately complete the circuit of a first photoelectrically responsive control means during the entrance of passengers into the vehicle and the circuit of a second photoelectrically responsive control means while passengers are leaving the vehicle.

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